Virginia Beach, VA 23452
(757) 631-9799
Diagnosis
No Positive Tests…
“You’ve Got Fibromyalgia...
Here's a Prescription”
Is There MORE to this Diagnosis?
By Dr. Donald Liebell
Have you had all the tests... blood, MRI, CAT scan, X-ray, neurological... but NOTHING shows up?
Nobody can find any PHYSICAL CAUSE for your debilitating pain, fatigue, depression, and other symptoms "classic" for fibromyalgia... right?
Everything medical condition has been ruled out. Maybe a doctor has called you a “hypochondriac" and sent you to a psychiatrist. Or, as is frequently the case, to a rheumatologist (arthritis specialist).
If you're like many chronic pain sufferers, you eventually were given the diagnosis Fibromyalgia. And why not... we now have not only one, but several exciting FDA approval drugs to treat the mysterious condition. Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Savella have now replaced many other drugs, which were never given the official distinction of "fibromyalgia drug" (The fact that these drugs were initially created for other medical conditions is a whole other topic).
The pharmaceutical companies are three steps ahead of the
doctors, as they pour tens of millions of dollars into studies they hope will justify the use of their “miracle drugs.” Meanwhile, the real causes of chronic pain are being ignored. Even in the age of the Internet, it can take over 20 years for a health discovery to reach the masses.
But the hard cold facts reveal that there is NO diagnostic test for fibromyalgia.
- There's no blood test...
- There's no specific MRI finding...
- There's no specific diagnostic sign...
It is a diagnosis made purely by each individual doctor's opinion, based upon medical case history... and a LACK OF ANY EVIDENCE FOR ANY OTHER DIAGNOSIS!
And yet, it is an accepted medical diagnosis, with FDA-approved drugs to match it. Any drugless treatment, no matter how effective in helping fibromyalgia patients is mockingly labeled, "alternative medicine."
So, if you're surfing the Web trying to find out how fibromyalgia is diagnosed, or if fibromyalgia is what's really wrong with you... it is certain that it's nothing more than a matter of opinion. I of course, have my own opinions. When you read my articles on this website, you will have no trouble telling the difference between facts and my opinions. By the way, my opinions are formed exclusively from experience helping people who suffer symptoms of fibromyalgia.
Have yo
u been told you have at least 11 of the 18 possible fibromyalgia "tender points"
which allegedly justify the diagnosis?
Is this the best "modern" medicine has to offer?
In my opinion, this tender point evaluation to arrive at the diagnosis of fibromyalgia is pathetic at best.
I for one, do not accept that there are no known causes for these tender points, largely because I have found them in countless patients, since 1993. Therefore, tender points are the EFFECT of several CAUSES. I've read various articles pointing out that research suggests fibromyalgia is caused by a glitch in the way the body perceives pain.
A "glitch?"
Is this the best "modern medicine has to offer?
If you’ve accepted fibromyalgia as your "final" diagnosis... then the battle IS over. You have surrendered.
But if you have some faith that your picture can be much brighter, you may be about to be rescued. You will soon know that it’s not hopeless.
If you’ve been “written off” as having fibromyalgia because nothing shows up on doctors' tests... something has been MISSED! It’s NOT in Your Head!! Don’t Let This Happen To You!
(That You Can’t Even Spell or Pronounce) Get You Any Better?
It turns my stomach when I see media coverage praising doctors for finally making the “Fibromyalgia” diagnosis… boasting how they “solved the mystery” and found out what was “wrong” with their patients.
Yippee, Hooray, Yahoo!! You’ve got a label. And some “specialized” drugs to go along with it…
Wow!
Sorry, but that does NOT impress me! Forgive my bitter sarcasm here. This makes my blood boil!
In my opinion, they’ve found NOTHING.
I’ll tell you why: For many conditions the diagnosis is a lifesaver. But in my opinion, the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia is more of a curse…a “life-in-prison” sentence.
Just its name alone, “Fibromyalgia” is deceiving.
Researchers once thought the pain was caused by fibrous deposits in the muscles. That’s the “fibro” part. And “myalgia” is simply doctor lingo for muscle pain (like you needed a doctor to tell you that!). Sure, many patients have bad muscle spasms which get more “fibrous” and make things worse, but that’s got nothing to do with the cause.
Could it Be That Doctors are “Barking Up the Wrong Tree?”
I have yet to consult with a patient who has been examined in the one area of the body, which (experience has taught my patients and me) needs it most... THE UPPER NECK.Undetected structural-neurological imbalance of the upper neck (atlas and axis vertebrae) appear to be at least in part, causative of many symptoms of fibromyalgia. Upper neck (upper cervical spine) dysfunction can be caused by any trauma and/or repetitive stress. Many patients who present with fibromyalgia type symptoms, for example, reveal a history of a motor vehicle accident or a fall, which preceded their condition's development. Commonly poor results with various types of treatment, for victims of whiplash accidents, has been established in the medical literature.
However a study published in the Journal of Whiplash and Related Disorders, revealed that an expertly administered treatment called Atlas Orthogonal, was capable of resolving many chronic pain cases. This is the upper neck treatment from which my fibromyalgia patients have had significant success.
It is my conviction that no evaluation of a patient suffering symptoms of fibromyalgia is complete without expert upper neck evaluation. There are some patients for which it is the only treatment necessary for them to recover from fibromyalgia. Others need multiple treatment approaches, because there can be multiple causes.
LYME DISEASE: I have helped many people diagnosed with Fibromyalgia... who actually had chronic Lyme disease all along! I have seen countless patients who had been prescribed every drug on the market for Fibromyalgia... they were mis-diagnosed and mis-treated all along!
This is tragic!
I have no doubt that millions of people who have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, are actually suffering from chronic Lyme disease. Blood tests frequently come up falsely negative—and you may not recall ever being bitten by a tick… but this tremendously UNDER-diagnosed, and complex condition, which is triggered by a bacteria, may be one of the causes of your condition. An entire article on this website has been devoted to Lyme disease and fibromyalgia symptoms.
In my opinion, "fibromyalgia syndrome" is not a true diagnosis. It is a label for a wide range of symptoms that millions of people suffer to one degree or another. The symptoms of fibromyalgia overlap with all kinds of different medical conditions.However if one believes that diagnosing fibromyalgia with little-to-no actual evidence, and then treating it with the latest "wonder drug" is medically acceptable... safe... logical... ethical... and decent...
I say have at it... it's a free country.
I will only go as far as to agree that people commonly suffer fibromyalgia type symptoms. It's merely a starting point -- a reason for people to seek my help. And since I don't treat anybody with drugs anyway, all energy must be focused on detecting multiple causes of ill health... and treating CAUSES. And there can be many - all acting at the same time to make a person tired and miserable.
If you are seeking treatment for fibromyalgia, the condition... I can't help.
But if you're looking for whole body, comprehensive, drug-free, wellness-based treatment for recovery from fibromyalgia symptoms, then we can definitely talk. As I've stated elsewhere on my website, I exist to help people get well.
Information is interesting, but it's ACTION that gets people their lives back... when all else has failed.
If you should become my patient, I will treat YOU, the person. I do not treat a diagnosis. I will be doing a thorough and unique medical history and exam... but I won't be seeking fibromyalgia; I'll be seeking the causes of your symptoms.
Remember that there is no diagnostic test for fibromyalgia anyway. So I won't embarrass myself and/or insult your intelligence with a "tender point" exam and a prescription for Lyrica, Savella, or Cymbalta.
I'll let YOU be the judge of what sound and sensible diagnosis and treatment really is.
